As integrated circuit (IC) device technology has become more advanced, the size of IC devices has progressively gotten smaller. Because IC devices are commonly incorporated into electronic devices by way of attachment to a printed circuit board (PCB), as IC devices have become smaller, the technology for attachment of IC devices to PCBs has also progressed.
For instance, ball grid array (BGA) technology has been developed to allow for more densely spaced contacts on an IC device. The use of BGA technology involves placement of solder balls at attachment pads of a PCB. An IC device may be positioned such that the contact pads of the IC device contact the solder balls. The assembly is then heated such that the solder melts, affixing the IC device to the PCB such that electrical contact is established between the IC device and the PCB. This process of heating the solder to affix an IC device to a PCB is commonly referred to as reflow.
However, with the development of BGA technology, a new failure mode has also been discovered. This failure mode corresponds to fracturing of a PCB substrate underneath an attachment pad of the PCB that may in turn lead to the attachment pad becoming separated from the PCB. This process of fracturing and separation of the PCB substrate below the attachment pad is referred to as PCB cratering. Cratering is undesirable because, once cratering occurs, the electrical connection established between the IC device and the PCB may be interrupted such that the IC device may be rendered inoperable.
In response to the discovery of the potential for PCB cratering, tests have been proposed to evaluate PCB designs and materials. Generally, these tests include pin-pull tests, ball-pull tests, and ball-shear tests. Using these tests, PCB designs and materials may be evaluated to determine the susceptibility of PCB designs and materials to experience cratering. These tests may also be used to evaluate the ability of a PCB design or material to withstand cratering.
However, the methodologies and equipment to perform these tests that have been developed to date are unfavorable because the methodology and equipment to perform the tests involve specially designed test equipment to perform the tests. Such specially designed test equipment is expensive. Furthermore, the test equipment is specifically designed to perform PCB catering tests only, thus the equipment is of limited use for tests other than PCB cratering. Moreover, the specially designed test equipment may require specially adapted pins for use with the specially designed test equipment. In this regard, not only does the specially designed test equipment present high initial overhead cost due to the high cost of the specially designed test equipment, but also, because of the specially adapted pins that must be used with the specially designed test equipment, there is also a high continuing overhead cost associated with testing. Accordingly, the ability to test PCB materials and designs for susceptibility to cratering has thus far been an expensive proposition both initially and on an ongoing basis due to the required specially designed test equipment that has thus far been used in cratering tests.